Mac Jones Injury status ; Week 2 Preview
After a lackluster debut against the New look Dolphins, Jones left the turf with Back spasms in week 1. Scans don’t show to be anything major and he looks good for Sunday against the Steelers according to ESPN, despite sitting out today’s practice. Whether Jones is healthy enough for a week 2 outing is to be determined, but the Patriots are going to need everything he has. Especially with their lack of Star power offensively. The Patriots' new offense should get as many reps together as possible before the season heats up and the schedule gets harder.
The offense remained stagnant in their 7-point outing against Miami. Jones finished with a passer rating of 87, a TD, and an INT. The Patriots have honorably committed to creating a new offense around Mac and co. and after years of running the successful but WR deathtrap we know and love as the Belichick Offense. Without a bonafide WR1, the Pats are going to need to be in sync and effective. Between Jakobi Meyers, Davante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and other notable WRs there’s depth at the position but no real standouts. It’s a given this team is looking to simply gel and rebuild, but after an early playoff berth last season, are we seeing an overachieving mediocre team or a step in the right direction?
In week 2 they’ll be facing a team with a similar sense of direction; the Pittsburgh steelers. They have a couple of new faces at the helm after Rothlesbuirger’s departure, and they are looking to not only test if Mitchell Trubisky is a capable QB1 but simultaneously see if Kenny Pickett is the real deal. With T.J watt on injury reserve, there’s no doubt this team looks vulnerable for a week 2 loss. The Steelers are 1 and 0 despite all this, beating the talent-riddled Bengals 23-20; on the road as well. A slogging offense is due to get you losses against any team so the Patriots will need to be ready every week to hit the turf. This offense may be new and rudimentary but this team is more than the sum of its parts. I have no doubt these pats can leave Acrisure with a win this weekend and on CBS you can see for yourself at 1 pm ET.